Explain the norms that humans use to determine fairness, and provide one example of each

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

a) Reciprocity is the obligation to return a favor when someone does one for us (or, alternately, to retaliate when someone treats us poorly). When people feel that a kindness has not been reciprocated, they tend to regard that as "unfair.". When an act is reciprocated, it is regarded as fair. One example of this is the tendency to want to give a gift at the holidays to people who gave you a gift (even if you had not intended to purchase one for them).
b) Equity is the idea that you should receive benefits in proportion to what you have contributed. When people receive more than they contributed, they feel overbenefited. When people receive less than they deserve, they feel underbenefited. Either one of those imbalances is perceived as "unfair.". An example is how teachers might feel about their pay. Teachers have demanding jobs that are considered important to fostering societal goals, yet their compensation is well below average. Some would argue that this is "unfair" because the teachers are under-benefited.
c) Equality is the idea that everyone gets the same amount, regardless of how much they have contributed. When things are equally distributed, people regard that as "fair;" if resources are not equally distributed, it is regarded as "unfair.". An example is how parents often try to divide resources very equally among their children so that they will be perceived as "fair.".